The bandsaw: where the polite saw's manners end
The bandsaw earned its reputation as the shop's polite saw honestly: the blade travels straight down, pressing the work onto the table, so there is no kickback to throw anything at you. The injuries it does cause come from believing that politeness is the same thing as harmlessness.
Machines and tools vary by brand, model, and age. Your manual outranks this page — read it first.
A bandsaw is a narrow steel loop running over two wheels, cutting on its way down through the table. No rising teeth, no throw line — which is exactly why it's the machine of choice for the cuts too dicey for the table saw. Its short list of hazards is different in kind, and each one has a plain answer.
Round stock rolls
The downward cut that pins a flat board does the opposite to a cylinder: the teeth grab the curved surface and spin it, instantly, wrenching the piece — and the hands holding it — around and into the blade. Dowels, branches, spindle blanks, anything that can rotate, will.
The guide post is a guard — use it like one
The upper blade guides slide up and down, and every inch of blade between the guides and the wood is exposed cutting edge running at full speed. Set the post about a quarter inch above the stock for every cut. Left at full height from the last resaw, it exposes six inches of unsupported blade — worse cuts (the blade twists and wanders) and a far bigger target for a slipping hand.
Hands out of the cut line
Most bandsaw cuts end suddenly — the blade breaks through the far edge and the resistance you were pushing against vanishes. If a hand is in line with the blade at that moment, it keeps moving. Push from beside the cut line, never behind it; the last few inches of any cut belong to a push stick, and fingers stay outside an imaginary two-inch margin around the blade even when the cut is going perfectly.
When the blade breaks
Bandsaw blades fatigue and eventually snap — usually undramatically, with a bang and a dead cut, because the wheel covers contain the loose ends. Your job is to step back, switch off, and let the wheels coast to a stop before opening anything. It's also the argument for those covers staying closed while running, and for de-tensioning the blade on a machine that will sit idle for weeks.
Respect the three real hazards — rolling stock, exposed blade, and the suddenly finished cut — and the bandsaw deserves every bit of its gentle reputation. It's the machine you can hand the tricky cuts to for the next forty years.